THE CONSERVATION OF FOOD 


the U. S. Government Campaign 
to promote the PRODUCTION/ 

SHARING/ and PROPER USE OF FOOD 


Prepared by the WAR FOOD ADMINISTRATION 
In cooperation with the OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION 


March 1944 








In a letter defied June 1 , 179J h to Mr. Germain, a prospective steward for 
his Mount Vernon home , George W ashing ton outlined some fundamental prac¬ 
tices of home food conservation which the Nation now is being asked to adopt 
and observe as wartime measures to make food fight for freedom. 

The following excerpts from this letter show that Washington in 179If. 
was fully aware of the same wasteful food habits which are common today. 
A notable feature , however , is that he not only knew the facts. He actually 
set out to do something about them. 

In our present need to make food fight for freedom , Washing ton set an 
example which could well be followed today. 

In his letter he warns against: 

u Inattention and carelessness in suffering things to be wasted and 
destroyed. 

. . Providing more for the use of the family than is really 
necessary 

Later he particularly recommends: 

. . Seeing that that which is provided be not suffered to spoil. 

“. . . That nothing , however , trifling , ought to be wasted that can 
be saved . . . nor bought if you can do well without it. 

. . That Cellars , and other places of deposits be cleaned out and 
put in proper order for the reception and safe keeping of the 
provisions. ” 

The material which follows elaborates on habits of food waste existing 
today. It also outlines specific food conservation actions which , when followed , 
will directly increase our food supply—actions which every man , woman and 
child can take to moke food fight for freedom. 


INTRODUCTION 


This handbook j-eveals amazing facts about 
food waste in this country. It outlines ways 
of curtailing waste. It requests cooperation in 
all channels of information in ordw to reduce 
this waste and turn the full force of our food 
supply toward winning the war. It deals pri¬ 
marily with food waste in the home. 

Last year, according to the United States 
Department of Agriculture, more food was 
wasted in the United States than was needed 
by our armed forces and for Lend-Lease re¬ 
quirements of all our allies. One pound out of 
every four pounds was wasted, or 20 to 30 per¬ 
cent of what we produced. 

We therefore have a direct means of increas¬ 
ing our food supply, simply by not throwing 
food away and by using all we have. 

We are wasting a weapon of war. Even 
making allowances for unavoidable waste, it is 
estimated that by voluntary watchfulness in the 
home we can save up to one-fourth to one-third 
of the 125 million pounds of food we waste 
every day. 

This waste occurs at a time when we are 
faced with a shortage of many foods. 

Although farmers are breaking all produc¬ 
tion records and are out to break the all-time 
high record of 1943, there will not be enough 
food this year or for several years to satisfy 
all needs for it. Despite great records for 7 


straight years, and even higher goals for 1944, 
there are limits to what the farmer can do. 
Rainfall and all the uncertainties of nature 
can materially affect his production goals. 
Aside from military and lend-lease demands, 
two other factors are creating a serious strain 
on the equitable distribution of our food sup¬ 
ply: 

L Americans have more money than there 
are goods to buy with it—and much of this is 
spent on food. 

2. Every new allied victory means that more 
liberated people are pleading to be fed—at least 
until they can get back on their feet. 

So Americans at home face this reality— 
there will be enough food for good health, but 
not all the food or the kind of food some of 
us may want. The problem is to make our 
food do all the things it must do—sustain us 
at home as well as our fighters and allies 
abroad. 

The real solution lies in every American’ 
taking a number of highly important ac¬ 
tions—actions which include a determination 
to produce more food, to conserve food, to 
preserve food, to share our food, and to help 
keep food prices down by paying no more 
than legal prices. Of these actions, the avoid¬ 
ance of waste is of tremendous importance. 
It is a war food job in which everyone can help. 


(2) 




3 



HOW MUCH FOOD IS WASTED? 

Garbage analysis studies in 247 cities reveal 
an average collection of from 225 to 300 pounds 
by weight for each individual every year. This 
includes wastage from wholesalers, retailers, 
restaurants, and homes. Of this, 100 pounds of 
edible food per person are wasted in the home 
each year. 

Three-fourths of a pound of food wasted 
by each of us every day adds up to a stagger¬ 
ing total. A slice or two of wasted bread 
a week in each home is' the equivalent of 
2 million loaves. Dabs of butter left on each 
plate, totaling perhaps as little as one-half 
ounce a week, would make enough to have 
supplied our Army last year. The one-tenth 
to one-fourth of the potatoes thrown away 
in paring and cooking after they get into 
the kitchen represents more than enough to 
supply New York City. 

Already the food waste campaign has pro¬ 
duced some results. The 1943 garbage col¬ 
lection from residential areas has declined 
to some extent in all regions where campaigns 
have been conducted. 

Raymond Pearl, statistician and geneticist, 
estimated a food wastage in the home of 5 
percent of protein, 25 percent of fat, and 20 
percent of carbohydrates—or an over-all calorie 
waste of 19 percent. 

WASTE IN THE HOME 

Americans eat more than 135 billion meals 
a year. If these meals are poorly planned, 
not well prepared, only partially eaten, and if 
left-overs or remains of too large portions 
are not utilized, the door is left open for 
tremendous waste. 

Here are the major failures of planning 
that cause waste, and some ways in which this 
loss of food can be eliminated. 

Waste in the Planning of Meals. 

1. Failure to take full advantage of foods in 
seasonal abundance, especially perishables, re¬ 
sults in waste. Proper planning not only saves 
the full nutrient value of the fresh crop to the 
consumer, but also saves foods which may be 
used when perishables are scarce. 

2. Planning meals ahead cuts down waste in 
the home due to lack of storage space. There is 
no sense in buying foods for which there is no 
room in the refrigerator and for which-there 
is no other adequate storage facility. 

3. Failure to plan on the basis of required 
nutrients causes waste. If a housewife serves 
more carbohydrates or more protein foods than 
are necessary, at the expense of vitamins and 
minerals, an unbalanced diet results. For ex¬ 
ample, if both potatoes and spaghetti are served 


at the same meal, either one may be scarcely 
touched and the remainder thrown away. Each 
day’s food should include some of each of the 
Basic 7 food groups. This balancing ensures 
better health and better appetites for each of 
the foods served. 

4. If the same dishes are served for a period 
of days, they become less appetizing. The re¬ 
sult is wasted food and often a waste in food 
values. 

Waste in Marketing. 

Hand in hand with planning goes the right 
kind of marketing. This yields better nutri¬ 
tion, more for the consumer’s money, and a 
tremendous saving of food. 

1. Buying too much means dangerous spoil¬ 
age and loss. Since many foods deteriorate in 
nutritional value the longer they are held, there 
is a waste of food values even if such foods are 
eventually eaten. It is better not to buy the 
2-for-49-cent special if the quantity is liable to 
be too much to eat before it spoils. 

2. You cannot judge the nutritional and 
taste value of all food by its appearance. Many 
tons of fruits with slight blemishes are thrown 
away because their appearance has not ap¬ 
pealed to the customer, although in taste and 
food values they are equal to the most photo¬ 
genic pears, peaches, etc. The retailer cannot 
sell them. They rot, contaminate other fruits, 
and are thrown away. This waste adds to the 
cost of perishables purchased because the re¬ 
tailer has to average the good with the bad 
and charge a price to cover wastage. 

3. Great waste occurs when merchants, to 
make leafy vegetables showy, tear off the outer 
leaves. The outer leaves are higher in vitamin 
content than the inner. The use of the vegetable 
brush, good storage, and prompt preparation 
will give more food value, better taste, and 
save waste. 

4. A good rule for Shoppers is “hands off” 
when it comes to pinching, prodding and 
otherwise injuring sound fruits and vegetables. 
Such treatment often causes rot and results in 
waste. 

5. The habit of week-end buying causes 
waste. Merchants stock up to meet the de¬ 
mand and if their calculations are wrong, left¬ 
over perishables rot by the following Monday. 
The housemaker who makes week-end pur¬ 
chases is inclined to overstock and spoilage 
results. 

Waste in Food Storage. 

Lack of information on proper storage meth¬ 
ods causes waste. Simple precautions will elim¬ 
inate much of this, especially when available 
refrigerating space is small* 


4 


1. Left-overs in the refrigerator lose their 
moisture and flavor unless properly covered. 
Dairy products left uncovered absorb odors of 
other foods. 

2. Meats often spoil unless placed in the cold¬ 
est part of the refrigerator. 

3. Forgotten foods shoved back in the ice 
box too often end up in the garbage can. A 
daily inventory of the ice box is a food saver. 

4. All foods do not require immediate refrig¬ 
eration, so the ice box need not become a 
catch-all. Millions of dwellings have cellars 
suitable for storage of certain foods. A prop¬ 
erly sonken and covered barrel in the back 
yard makes excellent storage space for root 
vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips, and 
beets. 

5. Frequent inspection of packaged goods 
saves waste. This eliminates potential damage 
from insects and mice. 

Waste in the Preparation of Food. 

Food values can be completely lost in cook¬ 
ing. For example, paring away from one- 
tenth to one-fourth of the potato results in 
physical loss. But in addition, iron and vita¬ 
min C in the potato are dissipated by not 
cooking with the jacket on. 

Most housewives still cook vegetables in too 
much water—then drain off the water and 
pour it down the sink. This wastes vitamins 
and minerals which seep out of the vegetables 
into the water. 

Nutrition value and flavor in vegetables like 
cabbage and turnips are lost by too long 
cooking. 

Many people throw away the leaves of cauli¬ 
flower, cabbage, endive, and chard, overlooking 
the nutrient value they add to stews and soups. 

Much waste occurs because the housewife 
fails to try recipes which would make some of 
the less popular vegetables more appetizing. 

Many housewives throw out left-overs or 
withhold their best efforts on them because 
they lack the knowledge of proper .preparation 
methods. 


Waste at the Table. 

The most obvious waste of food m the home 
takes place at the table. The actual cause of 
much of this waste lies in the planning, pur¬ 
chasing. storage, and preparation of food. 
But part is caused also by prevailing table 

habits. . „ „ 

Most people tend to resist new or un¬ 
familiar foods. Uneaten portions are left and 
are wasted. The unpopularity of the experi¬ 
ment acts against future purchases of the 
product. 

In wartime, when the shortage of many 
familiar foods increases the importance of 
alternate foods, such traditional notions of 
what is good and not good for us may mean 
the difference between good health and in¬ 
different health. 

As adults, some people rebel against foods 
which were forced on them as children. 

Many have grown up with the notion that 
salad greens are “rabbit food,” while some 
housewives consider leaf lettuce, parsley, and 
water cress only as decorations for the salad. 
These are, in fact, good sources of vitamin A. 

It is a widespread habit to serve on the table 
more food than can be eaten, simply because 
it’s pleasant to have more than enough. Guests 
are often urged to take more than they want, 
because the host and hostess want to be 
generous. 

An extravagant code of table manners is 
another cause of waste of food. Not squeezing 
grapefruit for the last bit of juice. Not tip¬ 
ping soup bowls for the last drop of soup. 
Not” picking up chops and chicken bones with 
the fingers, etc. There is a shortage of fats 
and butter, yet many people seldom think of 
soaking up the gravy on their plates with a 
small piece of bread. Some leave a little des¬ 
sert for appearance’s sake. Although such 
practices may have been justified before the 
war, they can hardly be justified now, when 
food is scarce at home and when hundreds of 
thousands of our civilian allies are starving. 


THE SOLUTION 

I. INFORMATION OBJECTIVES 


To Everyone: 

1 . Emphasize the critical world need for 
food and how its conservation malces food 
■fight for freedom. 

In spite of record-breaking farm produc¬ 
tion and the anticipated ten minion tons of 
food which 22 million victory gardeners will 
produce in 1944, there will not be enough 
food to meet aU demands for it both at home 
and abroad. 


The success of our armed forces, the stam¬ 
ina and morale of workers on the home front, 
the fighting spirit of our allies and liberated 
peoples—all are dependent on the quantity of 
our food supply. Conserving food helps di¬ 
rectly to increase this supply and is one means 
by which every individual can make food fight 
for freedom. 

2. Highlight the fact that our prodigious 
food waste consists of the hits and driblets 


5 


lost through, waste in every restaurant , store, and 
home. 

3. Stress the specific food actions which 
every man , woman , and child can take to 
■fight food waste. 

Eat every morsel of food that is taken 
at every meal—“clean your plate.” 

Cultivate a taste for new foods and 
new dishes. Continual use makes them 
palatable. New dishes become old stand¬ 
bys. 

Help harvest community crops. 

Grow and keep growing your victory 
garden. 

To the Homemaker: 

Jr. Emphasize the fact that the homemaker 
can do more than any other individual to¬ 
ward conserving our food supply. 

2. Underscore the specific food conservation 
actions which every homemaker can take to 
make food fight for freedom. 

Save left-overs—make them appetizing. 
Buy perishables according to your needs. 
Choose all foods from the Basic 7. 

Plan meals by the week. 

Buy seasonal and plentiful foods—try 
new dishes. 

Store perishables with care. 

Prepare food without unnecessary waste. 
Encourage family members to “clean up 
the plate.” 

Share or preserve victory garden surplus. 

To the Children: 

1. Stress the fact that the conservation of 
food is one home, front activity of major 
importance in which children can take an 
adult's role. 

Enlisting their aid requires a simple, direct, 
and understandable approach coupled with 
suggested action which can be easily carried 
out. One approach would be to make chil¬ 
dren regard themselves as food conservation 


• “commandos” in. their homes. A personal ap¬ 
peal such as this would stimulate action be¬ 
cause it puts children in active partnership 
with their parents in the home front battle 
against food waste. 

II. COMMUNITY AND GROUP 
PARTICIPATION 

In addition to those specific actions which 
individuals are urged to take, the problem of 
cutting down on the quantity of food waste 
will be nearer solution when organizations 
and communities undertake to assume their 
proper share of responsibility. 

What Organizations Can and Should Do. 

Enlist the aid of schools and,colleges in re¬ 
ducing food waste. 

Assist in community-wide food conservation 
activities and in drives among their own 
members. 

Set up speakers’ bureaus to carry the con¬ 
servation message to every group in the 
community. 

Organize discussion groups to publicize food 
conservation methods. 

Mobilize the publicity facilities of the com¬ 
munity for planned food conservation cam¬ 
paigns. 

A list of pamphlets and manuals which will 
be helpful can be found in the appendix. 

What Communities Can and Should Do. 

The spearhead in community organization to 
conserve food waste is the “Clean Plate Club” 
promotion. Essentially this is a community 
movement backed by pledges on the part of in¬ 
dividuals to do two things—to waste no food, 
and to clean up their plates at every meal. 

These clubs, already in operation in many 
sections of the country, have proved invaluable 
in reducing food waste. Plans for 1944 call 
for an all-out drive to expand clubs of this type 
nationally. 


OTHER SOURCES OF WASTE 


Food is wasted at every stage of distribution 
and use—on the farm, in transit, in storage, in 
the processing plant, at wholesale markets and 
establishments, in retail stores, in public eating 
places, and in the home. This squandering of 
our food adds up to about one-fourth of all that 
we produce. Some waste is unavoidable, but 
much can be prevented by conservation meas¬ 
ures. 

Over-All Losses. 

Such estimates as are available indicate an 
over-all loss (including both avoidable and 


unavoidable waste, between the point of harvest 
on the farm and the point of sale at the retail 
market or its equivalent) of as much as 30 
percent for tomatoes, lettuce, cauliflower; 25 
percent for cabbage, spinach, celery; 20 percent 
*for fruits such as apples, pears, peaches; 13 
percent for oranges and grapefruit. For less 
perishable commodities such as potatoes, peas, 
and beets, the estimated shrinkage or over-all 
loss is from 5 to 10 percent. These estimates 
relate to average conditions and actual losses. 
They vary, of course, from year to year and 



6 


area to area, depending upon the particular 
conditions and difficulties encountered. 

Waste on the Farm. 

Waste on the farm takes place from planting 
to harvesting. It includes damage "done by in¬ 
sects and by rodents. Eats alone destroy each 
year as much food as 240,000 farmers can pro¬ 
duce. Common plant diseases each year deprive 
us of several hundred million bushels of grain 
and other products. Additional quantities are 
lost when crops remain unharvested because of 
local labor shortage, transportation difficulties, 
limited facilities for processing, or because un¬ 
predictable weather causes market gluts of 
seasonal foods. Rough digging and picking, 
careless preparation for market, and inadequate 
refrigeration and storage add to the losses. 

There is no general cure-all for waste of food 
on the farm because here, as elsewhere, some 
losses result from circumstances occasioned by 
the war—but all efforts are helpful that make 
sure the crop is harvested down to the last bit. 
Voluntary workers and community cooperation 
where labor shortage exists can save much food. 
Victory Gardens help add to the supply. 

Waste in Transit. 

Waste takes place when farm and food prod¬ 
ucts are transported to market. Some of it re¬ 
sults from inadequate facilities due to the war 
situation. But breakage and spoilage commonly 
occur from improper practices of packing, 
loading, handling, and ventilating—especially 
in the shipment of perishables. 

When hampers and boxes are packed to the 
bulging point and then heaped on top of each 
other, contents are marred and bruised. When 
delays in transportation are reduced, more of 
the food value of perishables reaches the table 
and less waste from spoilage results. 

Many pounds of meat are wasted annually 
through death and crippling of animals in 
transit and from bruising in general. "Three- 
fourths of the total loss is from bruises, not 
usually detected until after slaughter. Bruis¬ 
ing occurs all along the line: (1) on farms; 
(2) in transit; (3) at public markets; (4) and 
to some degree in packing plants. The great¬ 
est damage happens in transit, particularly in 
poorly equipped trucks operated by careless 
handlers. Projecting nails, splintered boards, 
sharp-cornered posts, slippery footing, the use 
of clubs, etc., are a few of the causes. 

Waste in the Wholesale Market. 

To a lesser degree than in homes and retail 
establishments, certain waste takes place at the 
wholesale level. Some loss of foods occurs in 
cold-storage and “ripening” rooms. This can 


be avoided by careful handling and closer 
attention. 

To reduce such losses, the wholesaler should 
carry on a program with the following objec¬ 
tives : 

1. Adoption of good receiving and delivering 
practices, such as careful handling and stack¬ 
ing on loading platform, to avoid bruising and 
deterioration from the elements. 

2. Conforming to accepted storage plans that 
prescribe temperature, humidity, ventilation, 
light, stacking, turning, etc., for the particular 
commodity. 

3. Sanction of progressive merchandising 
policy calling for adequate packaging, frequent 
culling, rotating (first in—first out), selling in 
customary receiving unit, reducing prices to 
obtain turn-over of foods which may spoil if 
held longer. 

Waste in the Retail Market. 

There is additional loss in retail handling. 
Reports of some of the most carefully managed 
stores show spoilage losses of 3 to 10 percent 
on fresh fruits and of 3 to 15 percent of fresh 
vegetables. These are in addition to losses 
sustained in selling overripe products at re¬ 
duced prices in order to avoid spoilage. Some 
waste is caused by new and inexperienced 
labor. Dropping crates and dragging sacks 
cause bruises or actual loss. Much waste occurs 
through storing, displaying, and selling with¬ 
out giving consideration to the keeping quality 
of the merchandise. Limited studies suggest 
that such waste alone totaled about $450,000,000 
in 1942. 

Retailers can help reduce such losses 
through— 

1. Proper receiving —by practicing estab¬ 
lished methods for careful handling. 

2. Adequate storing —by following acceptable 
standards prescribed for stacking, ventilating, 
lighting, and maintaining temperature and 
humidity. 

3. Correct displaying and selling —by fol¬ 
lowing good merchandizing practices such as 
rotating, culling, segregating, and adjusting 
prices on products in danger of imminent 
deterioration. 

A special booklet, entitled “Reducing Food 
Waste in Retail Stores” may be obtained by 
writing to the Office of Distribution, War 
Food Administration, Washington 25, D. C. 
Waste in the Public Eating Place. 

Twenty-five million Americans eat in public 
eating places every day. Estimates are not 
available on the food waste that can be con¬ 
trolled by restaurant management—such as 
waste caused by inadequate facilities, poor 


7 


cooking, overstocking, overproduction, or in¬ 
experienced help, but it is estimated there is a 
6-percent or larger waste in food left on 
plates by restaurant patrons. 

To cut down his food waste, an operator of 
a public eating place can do these things: 

1. Instruct his kitchen and service personnel 
in the ways and means of saving food in the 
kitchen. (Here, factors'in food wastage and 
the means of correcting them are much the 
same as those which apply in the home 
kitchen.) 

2. Offer his patrons menus which are less 
elaborate and at the same time varied and 
well balanced. (It has often been shown that 


the public is more interested in quality than 
in quantity of choices offered.) 

3. Assist in educating his patrons to order 
only what they want and to eat everything 
they purchase. 

The National Restaurant Association is co¬ 
operating in reducing waste in public eating 
places by— 

(а) Conducting a survey of its members to 
determine amounts, kinds, and sources of res¬ 
taurant food waste. 

(б) Carrying on an educational campaign 
to reduce this waste. Restaurants are, of 
course, rationed in their food allotments as are 
consumers who eat at home. 


Appendix A 

SELECTED REFERENCES ON FOOD CONSERVATION, FOOD WASTE, 
AND RELATED DATA—AIDS TO CONSERVATION 


Information for Public Speakers on Food Waste. 
(Multilithed.) 

Food Conservation. Cooperative Job for all 
Teachers and Pupils, from “Education for Victory,” 
September 1, 1943. (Mimeographed.) 

Publications in support of the Food Conservation 
program are now in preparation for the use in 
schools and homes. These publications are sched¬ 
uled to be off the press late in May. Notification 
will be given when they are available. 

Kitchen Intruders—Why Tolerate Them? U. S. 
Dept. Agr. AWI-70. Washington, D. C., 1943. 

Why Feed the Insects? U. S. Dept. Agr. AWI-64, 
Washington, D. C., 1943. 

Reducing Food Waste in Retail Stores. (Multi¬ 
lithed.) 

It’s Up To You. A war food play. Script avail¬ 
able on request. 

(These publications are available on request to 
the Office of Information. War Food Administration, 
Washington 25, D. C.) 

FIVE SERIES OF POSTERS ON HOW TO 
PREPARE AND CONSERVE FOOD 

Well-adapted for use in schools, dietetics classes, 
and extension programs. 

Up-to-date and to-the-point in terms of nutrition, 
conservation, economy, and appetite appeal. 

Each poster fully illustrated with simple, graphic 
photographs and brief, step-by-step copy. Printed 
on heavy white paper. 

1. Fight Food Waste in the Home. (Size 14Vi by 
20 inches. Printed in black and red on white paper. 
25 <t for set of 10.) Titjes follow: 

Join the Ranks—Fight Food Waste in the Home. 

Milk and Eggs—Nature’s Food—clean, covered, 
cold—will stay good! 

Meat, Poultry, Fish are full of flavor—a cold dry 
place is what they favor. ' 

Cooked Meat, Poultry, and Fish. 

Save Every Drop of Oil or Fat. 

Wilt not, Waste not—Fresh Vegetables. 

Fresh Fruits are Best in Season—with care, 
they’ll keep within reason. 

A Cool Airy Place to Suit Hardy Vegetables and 
Fruit. 

To Keep Bread, Cake, Cookies Nice—protect 
them from insects, mold, mice. 

Sugar—Flour—Cereal—Spice—Canned Foods. 

2. Get the Good From Your Food. (Size 14V4 
by 20 inches. Black and red on white. 250 per set 
of 10.) Titles follow: 

Get the Good From Your Food. 

Get the Good From Fruit. 


Get the Good From Vegetables (3). 

Get the Good From Meat (2). 

Get the Good From Poultry. 

Get the Good From Eggs. 

Get the Good From Fats. 

3. Meat Cooking Charts. (Size 20 by 30 inches. 
Black on white. 500 for set of 7.) Titles follow: 

Do you know meat cuts and cook according to 
to the cut? 

Roasting a tender cut. 

Stuffing low-priced tender roasts. 

Broiling tender steaks and chops. 

Pot-roasting a less tender cut. 

Braising a less tender steak. 

Ground meat in savory ways. 

4. Poultry Cooking Charts. (Size 20 by 30 inches. 
Black on white. 500 for set of 8.) Titles follow: 

Cooking poultry. 

Broiling a young bird. 

To fry chicken. 

Stuffing and trussing. 

Roasting young tin-key. 

Roasting young duck. 

Braising a fowl. 

Stewing a fowl. 

5. Home Canning Charts. (Size 14V4 by 20 inches. 
Green and orange on white. 500 for set of 20.) 

(How to order poster sets: Send order to the Super¬ 
intendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, 
Washington 25, D. C. Each set of charts is complete 
in itself. Each set is sold as a complete set only, 
Cash, money order, or certified check must accom¬ 
pany the order.) 

Conserving the Food You Buy. 

Excerpts from conservation suggestions prepared 
by the War Food Administration follow: 

I. Suggestions for conserving the nutritive value 
of food to be used in fresh stage (cooked or raw ).— 
The following suggestions are taken from Vitamins 
From Farm to You, U. S. Department of Agriculture: 

(1) Don’t crush or bruise. 

(2) Don’t soak. 

(3) Keep cool until ready to cook or eat. 

(4) Use quickly when prepared. 

(5) Make raw salad or slaw as a last minute job. 

Vitamin C gets away faster from foods 
peeled or cut. 

(6) When you cook vegetables, use as little water 

as possible. Add salt to cooking water at 
the start to help hold the vitamin C. 


(7) Cook quickly whenever you can. Put vege¬ 

tables into boiling water and bring the 
water back to boiling point fast. 

(8) Cook vegetables until just tender—but no 

longer. 

(9) Stir vegetables only when you must. If you 

stir you mix air into the food and that 
destroys some of the vitamins. 

(10) Do not add soda when you cook vegetables. 

The soda destroys thiamine and vitamin C. 

(11) Do not thaw frozen vegetables before you 

cook them. 

(12) Serve raw frozen foods, such as fruits, at 

once—immediately after thawing. 

(13) Since cooking water takes up some of the 

vitamins and also minerals, it is good food; 
so don’t pour cooking water down the sink. 
Serve it with the vegetables—or in soups— 
sauces—gravies. 

II. Suggestions for conserving the quantity and 
quality of food through adeqtiate storage and 
methods of preparation (from Fight Food Waste in 
the Home, U. S. Department of Agriculture): Keep 
meat and poultry in the coldest part of the ice box 
or your coldest storage place—45° F. or lower is best. 

Fresh meat. —Cover fresh meat loosely. Wipe 
with damp cloth just before cooking. If ground, 
store in extra cold place and cook soon. 

Meat broth. —Cool meat broth rapidly, keep cold, 
use soon. 

Cooked meat. —Keep cooked meat covered. 
Chopped and sliced cooked meats spoil more quickly 
than meat in the piece. Cut or chop just before 
using. Keep meat sandwiches and salads cold right 
up to serving time. 

Cured meat. —Keep uncooked, well-cured meat in 
a dark, cool, dry', airy place. Leave wrapping on 
ham, bacon, and other cured meat until ready to 
cook. Keep mildly cured meats like fresh meats. 

Poultry. —Wash poultry thoroughly inside and 
out, pat dry, and store very cold until time to cook. 

Sea food. —Fish and all other sea food spoils in a 
few hours at room temperature. Cook at once, or 
wrap in wax paper to keep odor from other food, 
and store very cold. 

Milk. —Don’t let milk stand out. Keep it in the 
colder part of the refrigerator. When cooking, take 
out only milk and cream needed and let the rest 
stay cold. Don’t pour left-over milk back in the 
main supply. Put away milk the first thing after 
each meal. Keep odorous foods—fish, onion, cab¬ 
bage, melons—away from milk. Use suds and sun 
on all milk containers. Scald often. 

Milk and egg dishes. —Milk and eggs are good com¬ 
binations, but spoil easily. If custards, cream pies 
and puddings, and cream puffs are not to be eaten at 
once, cool them quickly, cover, and keep very cold. 

Cheese. —Cold and covered, are the watchwords fpr 
cheese too. Use cottage and other soft cheese 
quickly, for they soon spoil. Hard, cured cheese, 
well wrapped, may be kept longer. 

Eggs. —Wipe off soiled spots on eggs with a dry, 
rough cloth. But don’t wash eggs before storing. 
Water destroys the protective film that keeps out 
air and odors. Store eggs in open bowl or wire 
basket in a cool place. 

Vegetables. —The fresher a vegetable when it is 
used, the better the taste, the less the waste, and 
the more vitamins retained. 

“Wilt not, waste not,” is a golden rule for garden 
stuff. For household storage of fresh vegetables, use 
refrigerator or other cold place. 

Salad greens. —To crisp up lettuce, radishes, 
celery-—all raw vegetables headed for the salad 
bowl—wash, drain, store in covered vegetable pan. 
Keep cold. 

Cooking greens. —Pile cooking greens loosely to 
prevent bruising. Store in covered vegetable pan, or 
waterproof bag, preferably after washing and drain¬ 
ing. Keep them cold. 

Snap beans, lima beans, peas, corn. —To hold the 
sweet in corn, peas, and lima beans and to keep 
snap beans fresh, keep them cold. Let them stay in 
the pod or husk unless you can store them tightly 
covered in refrigerator. 


The cabbage family. —Caulifower, brussels sprouts, 
and broccoli lose freshness faster than cabbage. 
Leave them uncut; keep cold and not too dry. 

Root vegetables. —Put beets, turnips, rutabagas, 
carrots in a cool ventilated place. Cut tops to 2 
inches to save space. (Don’t throw away edible 
turnip and beet tops. Save as shown under “salad 
greens” above—or can, dry, brine, or freeze them.) 

Potatoes, onions. —A dry, cool blackout suits them 
both, but avoid freezing. 

Sweetpotatoes, squash. —For sweetpotatoes and 
squash, dry cool storage. 

Berries, cherries, grapes. —To keep berries, cher¬ 
ries, and grapes tiptop, store in a shallow tray 
in a cold place. Wash just before using. 

Peaches, pears, plums. —Spread to keep from 
bruising.. Keep the ripe fruit cool. Let underripe 
fruits ripen at room temperature. 

Oranges, Lemons. —Spread out to prevent loss 
from mold and rot. Keep in a cool place. 

Apples. —Apples soften as much in 1 day at 70° F. 
as in 2 days at 50° F.—So keep them at the cooler 
temperature. 

Be gentle with the firm apple and orange as well 
as with the soft berry and the tender-skinned peach. 

To pinch and bruise and break the skin will let the 
enemy, rot, come in. 

Bananas. —Bananas are best when kept at warmer 
temperatures than our native fruits. Let underripe 
bananas ripen at room temperature. 

Dried fruits. —The natural sugar in dried fruits 
keeps them from molding easily. 

Store them in a tight bag or jar in a cool place. 
Watch in warm weather for worms or weevils. 

Spoilage spreads as mold breeds mold, weevils 
hreed weevils. This happens oftenest in the for¬ 
gotten can or box. Frequent check-ups save food. 

Bread. —Cool home-baked bread before storing in 
ventilated box. In hot weather, to keep bread from 
molding, wrap in moistureproof paper and put in 
refrigerator. 

Cake. —Cool on rack before storing in its own 
covered box, ventilated if in humid climate. 

Cookies. —Crisp cookies and crackers soften if 
kept with bread and cake. Keep them in airtight 
tins or boxes all their own. 

Flour, cereal, sugar, spice. —Don’t try to store 
much flour and cereal over the hot months—buy less 
and oftener. Store such dry foods as flour, cereal, 
sugar, spices in tight containers to keep out dust, 
moisture, insects, and mice. 

Dried vegetables .—Mice and weevils are fond of 
dried vegetables, too. Keep dried vegetables in tight 
containers. 

Canned goods. —'Pinned foods should be kept dry 
to prevent rust and spoilage. Foods canned in glass 
should be stored in a cool dark place. 

Quick-frozen foods. —Quick-frozen foods must be 
kept frozen solidly in the freezing compartment of 
a mechanical refrigerator until used. Don’t hold too 
long even at freezing. Once thawed, frozen foods 
spoil rapidly. Do not refreeze. 

Waste no fats. Store butter and other table 
fats in tightly covered dish in a cold dark place 
away from strong odors. To keep cooking fats 
well, strain fat drippings to remove food par¬ 
ticles and store in clean covered jars in a cool, 
dark, dry place until used. 

Don’t drain away vegetable juices. Save 
them for soups and sauces. 

Save fruit juices for cold drinks. 

Save bread and cracker crumbs for poultry 
stuffing or to make a crumb blanket for scal¬ 
loped dishes. 

Use perishable foods promptly. 

STOP EVERY SMALL LOSS OF 
GOOD FOOD. SAVE EVERY DROP 
AND CRUMB. 


B. 8. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEs 1844 





